Improve went in seaming-machines



(. kH. PERKINS.

SeamingMachines.Y

No. 146,946. K PatentedJnNJM.

UNITED STnTEs GEORGE H. PERKINS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO HIMSELF AND JOSEPH LE COMTE, OF NEW YORK CITY, AND ATLANTIC REFININGCOMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEAN]lNGvlVIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,946, dat-ed January27, 1874; application filed December 17, 1873.

Casa I3.

.To all whom lt may concern.:

Beit known that I, Gaone-1*. H. PERKINS, ot' Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented a Machine for Closing the Scams of Sheet- Metal Cans, otwhich the following is a speciiication:

The object of my invention is to close the top and bottom seams ot'quadrangular cans ot' sheet metal, by combining the Toughened bed f, toWhich the sunken top or bottom of the can is pressed, with dies B, asshown in the detached sectional view, Figure l, and plan view, Fig. 2,of the accompanying drawing. The machine in which my invention isincorporated is illustrated by the vertical section, Fig. 3, the planview, Fig. 2 5 and the vertical section, Fig. 4,011 the diagonal line 'l2, Fig. 2.

I) is a table, supported on a suitable frame, E, and to horizontalguides on this table are adapted the four slides B. (Best observed inFig. 2.) A slot in each slide (see detached 4view, Fig. 5) receives theshort arm ot' a lever,

I, hung to the table, as shown in Fig. 4; and the long arms ofthe fourlevers are connected by links a to a cross-head, G, to which a ver ticalreciprocating motion can be imparted, from a crank-Wheel, H, on adriving-shaft, through the medium of the rod I, lever J, and rod K, orthrough any other analogous appliances, the starting and stopping of thedrivingshatt being under the prompt control of the attendant. Above thetable, and to the outer end of an arm, M, is suspended a plate, N, Whichcan be depressed by means of a treadle, P, through a rod, Q, a spiralspring', b, tending to raise the rod, arm, and plate at'- t-er thetreadle has been released. The arm M is connected to a rod, d, which isarranged to slide in a socket formed in a standard, e, secured to thetable D, this socket containing a spring,- on which the end of the rodbears. 'In the center of the table Dis a quadrangular projection or bed,f, and to this bed are secured hardened-steel plates h, (best observedin Figs. 1 and 2,) one plate at each four sides p of the bed, the uppersurface of the plates being roughened, like that of a fine file or rasp'Each sliding die B has two edges for acting on the seam of the can, oneedge being at right angles to the other, so that each die, acting on twosides ot the can, will close one-fourth, or nearly one-fourth, ofthebottom seam.

y In Fi g. l, t represents a portion of the sunken bottom plate or baseof the can, having all its four edges bent to the form shown, for thereception ofthe sides, a portion of one of which is shown at j, Fig. l.

In operating the machine, the base z' of the can is placed on the'roughened .bed fot" the table A, and adjusted to a position which theopen sliding dies themselves determine. The sides ofthe can are thenadjusted to the base, and the plate N is depressed by the treadle l)onto the top ot' the can, which is thus held firmly to the roughened bedjl The operator, who, by suitable mechanism, has control ot thedriving-shaft, now starts the latter, so that the crank H will, throughthe rod I, lever J, and rod K, depress the cross-head GA, and thus,through the four rods a and four levers, F, si-

`multaneously move the four sliding dies toward the can, the seam ofwhich is closed 'simultaneously on all four sides. It is essential thatthere should be no yielding of the base of the can during the operationof the sliding dies 5 otherwise there would be an imperfect compressionofthe seam.

I have found, in practice, that when no cen tral mandrel or raised bedis used as a bearing for the inner shoulder of the sunken base fz', thebest medium for preventing such yielding to the pressure ot the dies isthe above-inentioned roughened surface, on which the bent edges of thebase rest, and to which they are held by the pressure applied to the topof the can, the minute teeth on the bed, combined with this pressure,resisting all attempts ot the dies to disturb any portion of the base ofthe can, excepting the edges, which they are designed to close againstthe sides.

. I lay no claim to the Within-described mechanism for operating thesliding dies, which may be actuated by devices other than those shown;no1- do I restrict myself to the use of i and operating substantially inthe manner de sliding dies, as theyr may be pivoted, or otherseribed.wise arranged; nor to notched or roughened In testimony whereof I havesigned my steel plates as a medium for retaining the base name to thisspecification in the presence et' ofthe can, as other roughenedsurfacesthose two subscribing witnesses. of vulcanizedemery-bloeks,forinstance-mfly GEORGE H. PERKINS. be substituted for thesteel plates; but 5 Tit nesses:

I claim as my invention- W A. STEEL,

The roughened bed f and dies B, fornbiued i HARRY SzvLITH.v

